Guide to Receiving Your Reimbursement

Before You Travel

1.  Please review the TravelWise Traveler’s Reference Guide. 

This reference guide provides a helpful summary of UW travel policies and procedures. It is also a reminder of what receipts you will need to retain and upload to your expense report as attachments upon your return from your travels. 

Please note that some information may not apply due to this is graduate student travel and not employee travel. 

2. Please be aware that flights for individuals must be booked with Fox World Travel via a UW Milwaukee Travel Request Form. Please contact the Graduate School’s Graduate Student Travel Coordinator, Tiffany Nation tmnation@uwm.edu for assistance. 

Please note graduate student travel arrangements cannot be made with or by Fox World Travel without a submitted UW Milwaukee Travel Request Form by the Graduate Student Travel Coordinator. 

Please keep a copy of your airfare itinerary listing full payment of your flight. You will be required to upload your airfare receipt showing full payment as an attachment to your expense report after travel has occurred. 

Amtrak (Train) or Greyhound (Bus) Travel

• Prepare a cost comparison between train/bus fare and airfare. The train/bus fare must be less than the airfare to the destination. 
• Call the Fox World Travel, at 608-710-4172 or 844-630-3853 to request an airfare estimate. This estimate must be uploaded as an attachment to your Expense Report. 
• Purchase tickets for Amtrak (train) or Greyhound (bus) directly from their websites or at their ticket counters. 

3. In addition to using Fox World Travel for flights, you may book your hotel as well, or by contacting the hotel directly. 

 Please note lodging arrangements cannot be made by Fox World Travel without a submitted form and Trip Confirmation Code. 

 Please note that it is highly recommended that you book your lodging through Fox World Travel due to the agency being able to assist you in case of cancellations or delays. 

If you choose to stay in a hotel that is more expensive than the maximum lodging rate, you will only be reimbursed for the maximum lodging rate, unless it is the conference recommended site. 

4. Please utilize the Lodging and Meal Per Diem Calculator tool: 

The UW Per Diem calculator is used to calculate lodging and meal per diem rates, which are based on the location to which you will be traveling. Please note that utilization of the calculator will provide you with your daily allowance for meals and lodging during your travels. 

Instructions for completing the Lodging and Meal Per Diem Calculator are below: 

5. You must complete an online Travel & Miscellaneous Expense Authorization (TMEA) form for all travel.

Please note that your TMEA form must be completed before travel occurs. Submitted TMEA forms required an uploaded approved travel award letter from the Graduate School. 

Please complete your TMEA form through the online BPLogix System by completing the following steps: 

1. Go to https://uwm.bplogix.net/workspace.aspx. 
2. Enter your ePanther ID and password. 
3. Click on the New Travel / Expense Authorization button. 

Please complete the TMEA form thoroughly. 

• Select your specific “School or College” in the “Division” dropdown list 
• Select your specific “School / Department” in the “School / Department” dropdown list 
• Please enter into the Supervisor(s), Supervisor Designate(s) (i.e., PI, UBR), or Approver(s) box. (Please Note: Enter the 1st three letters of the last name to populate list to select from.) 

In the Funding Allocation area, please select the following:

• Click the “Requesting Funding / Reimbursement Request” for Funds
• In the Funding Limit (if applicable): box, please enter the amount of your travel award from the Graduate School.
• Select “35: Graduate School” in the Division drop down list
• Select “1003: Travel Awards” in the Department drop down list
• Select “131” in Fund drop down list
• Select “0” in the Program down list

Please Note: There is no Project / Grant number needed

You are required to upload the following documents as attachments to your TMEA form:

• Graduate School Travel Award Letter
• Proof of Presenting
• If available, conference registration receipt or information, airfare and lodging receipts o information.

Once you have completed the remainder of the TMEA form, please click the green “Submit” button to submit form into workflow.

Failure to complete this request will cause a delay in the reimbursement and could result in forfeiture of travel funding.

If you are unable to access the BPLogix System, please contact Tiffany Nation, Graduate School Student Travel Coordinator, at tmnation@uwm.edu for assistance.

6. Driving (Request for reimbursement for car rental or personal vehicle mileage)

Just a reminder that all individuals who need to drive for work including: conferences, professional development opportunities, and state committee work, need to complete a Vehicle Use Agreement (Driver Authorization).

Please complete your Vehicle Use Agreement (Driver Authorization) via the online https://fleetportal.wi.gov/:

• You must complete the Vehicle Use Agreement (Driver Authorization) online form before travel occurs.
• You must receive approval before rental car use and in order to be reimbursed.

If it’s not completed, you will be ineligible for mileage reimbursement on your trips. Once completed, this authorization is good for one year for students expiring July 1st of every year and five years for employees.

The cost of driving must be less than the cost of commercial airfare, including necessary costs of lodging, meals, and other incidentals that may be associated with automobile travel.

Fox World Travel must be used for all internet-based reservations utilizing the Big Ten contract with Enterprise and National. Hertz is also available within Concur when Enterprise and National do not have necessary availability. Utilizing Concur for reservations enables the contract booking ID to automatically applied, ensuring that all reservations are under contract and appropriately insured.

Students must be prepared to provide student identification and the UW System’s tax-exempt wallet card to receive tax exemption on qualifying rentals (i.e. rentals originating in Wisconsin or participating states).

• Mileage expenses can be shared, but it should only be claimed by the person driving the vehicle. The mileage reimbursement rate is intended for gas.
• All drivers must be authorized to get any kind of reimbursement for any expenses related to driving (mileage, gas, car rental, etc.).

While You Are Traveling

Meals

See the Lodging and Meal Per Diem Calculator tool to automatically prorate the M&IE per diem for accurate accounting of provided meals. Receipts are not necessary.

Local Transportation

Reasonable and necessary charges for cab/shuttle/subway tickets are reimbursable. Please keep and submit receipts to be reimbursed for any fares over $25 when submitting your expense report after your travels have occurred. Shuttle service (usually less expensive or sometimes free) should be utilized in place of a taxi whenever possible.

Upon Your Return From Travel

You must complete an Expense Report in the online Expense Module system.

You’re not allowed to submit an expense report to request reimbursement until after travel has occurred.

Please upload your travel award letter received from the Graduate School, your approved TMEA form, the conference full agenda, schedule of conference programs or an email accepting your poster, registration fee receipt, flight itinerary, lodging receipt, and all other travel receipts as attachments to your Expense Report in the Expense Module system.

Please complete your Expense Report in the online Expense Module System with the following steps:

1. Click this link: Expense Module System Log In.
2. Enter your ePanther ID and password.
3. Click on the “Expenses” button.
4. Click on “Create Expense Report”

• Enter “Student Travel” in the Business Purpose drop down box.
• Enter the “Name of Your Conference” in the Description box.
• Enter the Location, Reference (INSTATE or OUTSTATE), Date of Departure and Date of Return.
• Click the “Justification” box and “Enter Your Conference Name, Dates, and Location”.
• Click the “Attachments” box to “Upload Your Travel Expense Receipts”. Please upload all of your travel expenses receipts and documents which include the following:
  • Your travel award letter received from the Graduate School
  • Copy of your approved TMEA form
  • Conference agenda or full schedule of conference program
  • Confirmation email accepting your poster
  • Registration receipt
  • Airfare Itinerary showing full payment
  • Lodging receipt
  • Ground transportation receipts
• In the Expense Report Action box select Add Expense Line.
• Enter an individual expense line for each travel expense.

If you are experiencing issues or need assistance with creating or submitting your Expense Report, please contact our Tiffany Nation tmnation@uwm.edu, Graduate Student Travel Coordinator for assistance:

Visit the User Guides travel page.